Durham Dispatch

Image credit: Claire Hambrick On May 24, around 100 runners gathered at E. Carroll Joyner Park in Wake Forest for a 5K race supporting Sudanese refugees. The race, organized by businesses like Green Door Garden and groups such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Triangle, raised money for Hope and Haven Refugees, an aid group that provides education, medical care, and other critical services. The event also raised awareness of the destabilizing role of U.S. foreign policy in Sudan since its 2019 revolution.   Before the race, members of Code Pink NC, Muslim Women For, and other groups gave brief remarks. One speaker was a Sudanese refugee who said:   “Back in 2003 through 2005, in Darfur region, we got attacked by genocides. It was like 4 a.m. in the morning and our village was attacked. I was with my mom and two sisters. It was random shooting all over the village and the genocide burning the villages. When people coming out from the fire, they shoot them … at the time my mom and sisters we had to walk 35 kilometers to go to a United Nations shelter.”   After time for a Muslim prayer and warm-up exercises, runners completed four laps around the park's track. A participant wearing a Sudan flag tank-top led the pack throughout the race and finished first. Many runners wore white shirts with a map of Sudan and the slogan “Between Two Niles Lies Revolution." Volunteers at the finish line handed out hibiscus refreshers and dates.   The event's organizers said the 5K was “grounded in supporting the Sudanese people and their right to freedom, peace, and justice.”   Alongside the race, vendors sold items such as athletic wear for hijabis, potted plants from Green Door Garden (which is Sudanese-owned), and Arabesque art prints. Community members sipping coffees or smoothies browsed leftist and anti-imperialist flyers offered by various groups. Kids played soccer on the lawn or searched for hidden toys to exchange for candy prizes from volunteers.   The 5K drew support from Zül-Qarnaįn, the performer who waved Sudanese and Palestinian flags during the Super Bowl halftime show. He said, “We need you to come out and support those who are oppressed, those who have been through so much in this life.”   The U.S. bears indirect responsibility for the Sudan’s civil war. After the grassroots-led December Revolution in 2019 ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir, a transitional government emerged. Generals Burhan and Hemedti, figures associated with the old regime, overthrew the transitional government in a 2021 coup. During this period, hundreds of democracy activists were killed by government forces.   The U.S. ignored the Sudanese democracy movement. Instead, it prioritized actors in Sudan that supported the Abraham Accords. Generals Burhan and Hemedti both supported the agreements. The American strategy of working with the generals collapsed in 2023 when Burhan and Hemedti turned on each other. In the civil war that followed, hundreds of thousands of Sudan’s people have been killed. The U.S. has not strongly supported either side of the conflict. However, it has not pressed neutrality on close allies like Egypt and the UAE, who support opposite sides.

Happy June! The weather is getting beautiful here in the Bull City and that means the adoption of the new fiscal year budget is right around the corner. There is a lot that goes into the budget and budget-making process, and I hope to provide some takeaways for you below. You'll find a "short version" explanation and a "long version." But if neither of those explanations provide enough for you, I encourage you to go straight to the City's Budget Development  process webpage to find information on the current proposed budget and past budgets. Short Version Durham's City Manager, Bo Ferguson, presented the fiscal year 2025-26 budget and capital improvement plan (CIP) during the May 19th City Council meeting. The final public hearing on the proposed budget was June 2nd. The budget will receive a Council vote on Monday, June 16th.   The proposed budget coincides with Durham County's property revaluations , which appraised real property values 71.6% higher than in 2019, when the revaluations were last conducted. The city's proposed property tax rate is 43.71 cents (per $100 assessed value), a decrease of 15.91 cents over the FY2024-25 rate of 59.62 cents and 5.48 cents above the revenue-neutral rate of 38.23 cents. The general fund is one of several city funds and below is a breakdown of the appropriations by function. Public Safety continues to be the largest general fund expenditure, which includes the Community Safety, Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, Fire, and Police Departments. Long Version The context of this year's budget: County Revaluation:  If you are a homeowner, you likely received a letter from Durham County earlier this year with a new property tax valuation. This year, new appraisals resulted in an average 71.6% increase in property values since 2019 - a big change compared to past revaluations.   Neoliberalism and Austerity Politics:  Over the last half century, as New Deal programs have become dismantled and neoliberalism  grew to become the main guiding philosophy behind federal policymaking, municipalities have experienced defunding and chronic underfunding; In 1980, federal dollars accounted for 22 percent of municipal budgets and by the end of Reagan’s second term, federal aid was only 6 percent with continued slashing of revenue up to today. Currently, rightwing-driven federal program cuts, gutting of key science and education programs, attacks against higher education, and threats to social and economic programs are contributing to macroeconomic instabilities. Meanwhile, the North Carolina legislature has not only sought to underfund and privatize public education, it has continued to pass law after law removing municipalities' autonomy and tools for good governance in a process called preemption .   Suburban Sprawl:  Over less than a decade, Durham City Council has approved tens of thousands of acres of fiscally and environmentally unsustainable sprawl. As has been widely researched and documented by planning academics and practitioners alike, auto-centric sprawl generates inadequate public revenues while service and infrastructure maintenance costs balloon - all in exchange for carbon-intensive, exclusionary, and privatized development patterns. Strong Towns  calls sprawl the "Growth Ponzi Scheme"  for its detrimental impacts on local budgets. While large corporate developers extract big profits from land development and homogenous homebuilding, externalities are passed along locally and wealth is redistributed from Durham's working class to the Wall Street investors behind the big homebuilding companies.   Durham in the Region:  Durham has historically been poorer than municipalities in Orange and Wake Counties, meaning that for decades even higher tax rates generate less per capita revenue. It's tempting to compare Durham against our regional neighbors, and worthwhile sometimes too, but despite huge growth in rents and property values, Durham continues to have lower incomes and lower property values than our municipal neighbors. The chart below compares pre- and post-revaluation property tax rates and tax bills. Takeaway #1: Most of our property tax payments are going to be higher this year.  The chances of a higher or lower bill depends largely on the change in each individual property revaluation as it relates to the average rate of change  of 71.6%. This is not something that I take lightly and it is not something over which I have full control. More and more people are struggling to pay for housing, transportation, childcare, education, and everything else. Much of this can be attributed to the context that we find ourselves in. But in the short term we at the City do have a choice to cut spending, reduce worker pay raises, eliminate some programs, and/or forego critical capital investments. I remain frustrated with some of the choices that past and present Councils have made that impact our long-term public finances, but there are few places the city could afford to cut from the current budget proposal without hitting needed programs and investments. To help defray the costs that could hit some homeowners in the revaluation shakeup, I have been pushing for expansion of the Low Income Homeowners Relief Program , administered by the county and paid into by the city. Are you eligible or do you know someone who is eligible for the grant? Have you or do you know someone who has applied for the grant? Do you feel that you need the grant to make ends meet but are not eligible under the current requirements? If so, I would like to hear from you about your experience. Please reach out at Nate.Baker@DurhamNC.gov .   Takeaway #2: Durham is making several major long-term capital investments.  By far the largest investment is in a new Jordan Lake Water Treatment Plant  paid for primarily through water utility rates. The City Public Works operation center, emergency operations center, South Ellerbe Stormwater restoration project, Durham Rail Trail, and new Fire and EMS station, are moving ahead, along with other critical capital investments. The annual pavement management program is the largest CIP expenditure.   Takeaway #3: Durham is keeping buses fare-free while expanding service.  Keeping buses fare free is a critical top priority and one that I will continue fighting for. Fare-free transit eliminates the wasteful expenses of fare collection, makes transit more efficient by eliminating wait times as riders pay their fares onboard, reduces conflicts between drivers and riders, offers a universal public service, takes cars off the road, and helps low wealth families who make up the largest portion of GoDurham riders. With the chronic underinvestment and depletion of federal resources for transit, GoTriangle and GoRaleigh have reinstated fares showing the challenge in maintaining this service. In addition to remaining fare-free in the coming fiscal year, GoDurham will be adding lines, hiring three new bus rapid transit (BRT) planners, and revitalizing the Durham Station.   Takeaway #4: Expect greater action on homelessness services.  Tragically, the United States is setting record after record  of growing numbers of unhoused people, with the fastest growing segment of unhoused people being children. To be clear, this is a policy choice and a national disgrace. Durham is not immune to this trend. With many moving parts in the homelessness services arena, a Homelessness Services Strategic Plan was one of my top priorities and the City will be moving forward with a plan and action over the coming year. While we do not have enough resources to end homelessness at the local level, the city has the opportunity to lead a multi-jurisdictional effort and coordinate limited resources to improve our city's services to the most vulnerable populations. Stay tuned as we begin this important project.   Takeaway #5: HEART is expanding its daytime coverage to best meet the city's unmet needs.  In analyzing calls, the Community Safety Department found that more residents would be served by expanding services to daytime calls (see chart below). I'm excited to share that the Community Safety Department will also launch the new Office of Survivor Care to provide critical services to victims of gun violence. Takeaway #6: Durham's Minimum Livable Wage Ordinance will increase at a rate nearly double the city's largest increase ever seen.  Because of the city's MLW Ordinance uses a definition with the average rent of the last four years, city worker minimum wages have not kept pace with rising cost of living; but that is starting to change as economic uncertainty slows the region's housing frenzy and the rapid rise in rents over the past 4 years starts to impact the MLW Ordinance definition. To meet the ordinance two fiscal years from now, minimum wages would rise above $25/hour. This is a critical value statement and one that we need to hold the line on and implement well (avoiding wage compression as much as possible). While North Carolina's minimum wage remains unlivable, the city's wages and benefits place pressure on other major employers to improve their working conditions. Last year's $28 million investment in city worker wage increases has also begun to decrease vacancies. We must ensure we pay our city workers enough to live and thrive in Durham, push to expand labor and tenant unions, and regain control at the state level to increase the shamefully low minimum wage as well as expand leave and health care benefits. Takeaway #7: Greater contributions from developers and the city's largest and wealthiest tax-exempt landowner would help share costs with residents and small businesses.  Make no mistake: we need to fight against rightwing attacks on higher education, including the "Woke Tax"  intended to redistribute wealth from higher ed to the billionaires. Nonetheless, residents and small businesses across our city need Duke University to share in the role of democratic governance and offset the local tax burden with everyone else. We also must ensure that new development contributes its fair share to the public good -- something that has not been adequate in the majority of new development. That means construction and dedication of public parks and plazas, transit-oriented urban design, green building, public art, smart growth development and conservation in master planned communities, and meaningful contributions of affordable units.   Takeaway #8: The City is contributing more to clean up contaminated parks.  More information is expected from the state this month. This year's CIP includes an additional $7 million for lead remediation on top of last year's $5 million. The state's soil test results are anticipated this month will help inform partial and full remediation costs and timelines and interim options. Relatedly, work has begun using the parks, sidewalks, and streets bond residents approved last year.   Takeaway #9: Both the City and the County general funds are losing revenue from the occupancy tax.   Locally supported state legislation , begins removing public dollars from the city and county's general funds this year and diverting those funds into a new nonprofit focused on tourism, Durham Next. Takeaway #10: Sales tax revenue decreased for the first time in over a decade.  Sales tax is the City's second largest source of revenue, behind property tax. For years, sales tax revenue has grown each year. This year, sales tax revenue has come in under projections and below what was collected last year, leading to more conservative projections for the coming fiscal year.   Politics and strategy of the local budget: Durham is a manager-strong form of government with a weak mayor who is part of the seven-member Council. The City Manager listens to the priorities put forward by Councilmembers and the staff departmental leadership, as well as Community Conversations and other community input, and makes a determination on how he wants to propose the budget. Once the budget is proposed, Council has the power to make changes, but any changes require the support of four or more Councilmembers and requires further analysis by the Budget and Management Services Department. Based upon my conversations with other Councilmembers, most believe this budget largely reflects the diverse opinions and priorities of the existing Council, with some desired changes. That said, constituent feedback and other Council priorities could still result in some changes between now and the adoption of the budget.

Orange County Courthouse. Image credit: Chapelboro.com Duke Energy Corporation is sidestepping detailed allegations about its role in a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about the dangers of fossil fuels, worsening the climate crisis and costing a North Carolina town millions of dollars in damages, according to a legal filing today from the town of Carrboro. Today’s brief, filed in Orange County Superior Court in Hillsborough, responds to Duke Energy’s motion to dismiss the town’s December lawsuit, which is the first to challenge an electric power provider for climate deception [ 1 ]. The lawsuit seeks to hold Duke Energy accountable for the damages inflicted on Carrboro and its residents by the corporation’s decades of deception campaigns to delay the transition to renewable energy. “Duke Energy’s deceptions about fossil fuel-driven climate change have cost the town dearly. Our utility bills are rising, our roadways will need repair, and extreme weather is creating havoc in our community,” said Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee. “Carrboro has been and will continue to work hard to invest all available resources into building a stronger, more climate-resilient community and to hold Duke Energy accountable.” The town’s brief says the court should reject Duke Energy’s motion to dismiss the case and it details how the company’s deception campaigns led to Carrboro’s costs. It also explains that the case is similar to many others in North Carolina and around the country where courts have found corporations responsible for their misconduct.  “Duke Energy is grasping at legal straws to hide its decades-long campaign of climate deception,” said Jean Su, energy justice director and senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Duke Energy executives put profits over people and the planet, as they used deceptions to build one of the world’s worst climate polluting corporations. Now they should be held accountable for saddling the town with a costlier, dirtier, riskier future.” The town is on the hook for millions of dollars in road repairs, rising energy bills and other infrastructure costs to adapt to and mitigate harms from climate change. The lawsuit says Duke Energy is responsible for these damages because the energy corporation knew its campaigns to obstruct the transition to renewable energy and mislead the public would accelerate the climate crisis. In a motion to dismiss the case, Duke Energy made many arguments that have been rejected by other courts in similar climate accountability cases. These include incorrectly claiming that the town lacked authority to bring the case and that the court lacked authority to hear it. The corporation is also seeking to deny the town’s First Amendment right to associate with the local environmental nonprofit NC WARN. “Carrboro’s case looks even stronger after Duke Energy has dodged or distorted all the key allegations,” said Jim Warren, executive director of NC WARN. “As with the tobacco industry scandal, they can’t afford to admit Duke’s executives have helped lead such a widely damaging conspiracy of deception for all these years.”  Duke Energy, the third-largest polluting corporation in the U.S., has spent millions on industry front groups and public relations firms to deceive the public about the science of climate change, the town’s lawsuit said. Duke Energy provides electricity to 8.2 million customers across six states, including nearly all of North Carolina as well as parts of South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. One of the largest electric power providers, the utility emitted roughly 80 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2021. Eleven attorneys general and dozens of municipal and Tribal governments across the country have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about fossil fuels’ role in climate change. Judges in several jurisdictions — including the Hawaii Supreme Court and last month in Washington, D.C.’s Superior Court — have rejected the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to dismiss climate accountability cases. In October Oregon’s Multnomah County, which includes Portland, added the regional gas provider NW Natural to its 2023 lawsuit against fossil fuel corporations for their role in the area’s fatal 2021 heat dome. Work Cited “Plaintiff Town of Carrboro’s Brief in Response to Defendant Duke Energy Corporation’s Motion to Dismiss Under NC Rule 12(B)(1).” Town of Carrboro , 1 May 2025, www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16562/Town-of-Carrboro-Response-to-Duke-Energy-Motion-to-Dismiss-5125 .

Durham Labor Choir, which includes REI Union Durham members, performed at the two-year anniversary rally. The video received more than 12,000 likes. Image credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ60BviNbqZ/ This past Sunday, May 18, Durham REI workers hosted a rally outside their store in Southpoint to celebrate the two-year anniversary of their union election and the accomplishments REI workers have achieved through organizing. The rally included performances by the Durham Labor Choir and speeches from union workers and co-op member allies.   The rally comes on the heels of REI workers’ historic win in REI’s Board of Directors election. For the first time in REI’s history, the candidates the Board of Directors nominated to fill vacant seats were outright rejected by Co-op members. This means their corporate and hand-selected candidates cannot and will not serve on the Board. The win was the result of REI workers and Co-op members standing together to demand that REI be the progressive retailer it claims to be rather than continuing to stall negotiations and work with the same union busting law firm as Elon Musk.   Chris, a Sales Associate at REI Durham, said it best in his speech at the rally: “Public resources are under attack. Public lands are in danger of becoming mining or logging operations just driven by profit and short term gains. And the greatest tool against this greed is organized labor. REI believes itself to be a different kind of retailer. Think of what we can accomplish together - standing together against these attacks - if they bargained in good faith and saw us as partners rather than enemies.”   After the rally, attendees wrote letters to REI’s new CEO, Mary Beth Laughton, calling on her to change course and partner with her unionized employees to return the Co-op to its democratic and values-forward roots.   Missed the rally but want to support? You can write your own letter to Mary Beth here .

On Wednesday, May 21, community organizers with the NC Triangle Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) announced that their two-year campaign against Gateway Women’s Care of Raleigh ended in victory [ 1 ]. Gateway, a crisis pregnancy or anti-abortion center, had been operating at 1306 Hillsborough Street for almost ten years and saw over 1,000 clients in 2023 [ 2 ]. While Gateway’s website describes their mission as providing “free, confidential pregnancy and sexual health services,” their most recent tax filings report their work as faith-based, “empower[ing] women to choose life for themselves and their unborn child” [ 2 ]. The center is not a licensed medical facility, and has been criticized for spreading misinformation and offering unproven “abortion pill reversal” procedures [ 3 ]. Triangle DSA’s Socialist Feminist Working Group began picketing Gateway in 2023. Describing the motivation for the pickets, Working Group Co-Chair Saige S. stated, “Everyone deserves to make informed decisions and access to comprehensive healthcare. Anti-abortion centers have been operating for decades, even more so post-Dobbs, which is why this is such an important issue to shine a light on.” Pickets were supported by local college students with North Carolina State University’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA). Triangle DSA estimates over 100 community members in all showed up to the pickets held outside Gateway every few months, holding signs that called out the anti-abortion center and sharing legitimate sources of reproductive healthcare. A key goal of the demonstrations was to warn passersby that anti-abortion centers interfere with reproductive justice by endangering pregnant people whether or not they intend to keep their pregnancy. Clients of crisis pregnancy centers may believe that their prenatal care needs are being met by the centers, meaning complications that arise from pregnancy can go undetected and cause harm to both the pregnant person and their pregnancy [ 4 , 5 ]. In 2024, after learning that Gateway’s landlord Ted Van Dyk was a registered Democrat, Triangle DSA started a petition calling on him not to renew the anti-abortion center’s lease [ 6 ]. Following an unsuccessful conversation with Van Dyk during an August 2024 picket, the organizers decided to escalate their approach [ 7 ]. At the following picket, a sign held by an organizer read “Ted Van Dyk Sells Out Abortion Rights.” Within hours of the protest, Van Dyk contacted the group for the first time to say that the sign wouldn’t change his mind and that there are “far more positive and effective ways to support and advocate for women’s reproductive health.” In early 2025, flyers urging Van Dyk to stop leasing to Gateway began to appear in the landlord’s own neighborhood. Triangle DSA says it only learned about the flyers because the organization was served a cease-and-desist from Gateway that included photos of the literature. While DSA consulted with a lawyer, the chapter’s Socialist Feminist Working Group shifted their organizing to directly support people seeking reproductive healthcare. In February, the group’s first “post-abortion care kit” making party drew over 70 community members to the Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub (RUMAH) on Hillsborough Street. The group ended up with enough extra donated pads, chocolates, and self-care items to put on the whole event again the following month without needing to buy more items for the care bags [ 8 ]. On March 25, a YDSA member spotted what looked like a moving truck in Gateway’s driveway. This prompted the group to dive through public records to investigate whether Gateway was undergoing repairs as the center claimed over the phone, or was moving out. The search revealed that in December 2024, Van Dyk filed for a permit with the city of Raleigh to completely rewire 1306 Hillsborough Street. City inspections at the center in January 2025 determined that the present wiring method was not appropriate for treatment rooms, and that the center lacked tamper-resistant outlets that municipal electric code requires for spaces operating as clinics [ 9 ]. A letter posted to the portal following a subsequent inspection confirmed that Gateway had ceased operations as of March 3 [ 10 ]. With news of Gateway’s departure confirmed, Triangle DSA is already gearing up for their next fight. Socialist Feminist Working Group members plan to research potential vulnerabilities of the six other local anti-abortion centers in the Triangle, from landlords that can be pressured to improperly permitted spaces. The group also hopes to disrupt the demand for anti-abortion centers through expanding access to pregnancy tests and other material aid often peddled by anti-abortion centers such as diapers and baby clothes. With legislative efforts to regulate crisis pregnancy centers stalled in the current NC General Assembly session, Triangle DSA says it hopes to activate the power of community organizing to drive out anti-abortion centers and demand quality, safe reproductive healthcare for all. Work Cited NC Triangle DSA. “Gateway’s Aborted.” Instagram , 21 May 2025, www.instagram.com/p/DJ7bRZPy6TV . Accessed 21 May 2025. “Gateway Womens Care.” ProPublica , 31 Dec. 2023, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/581584775/202402779349300980/full . “Mike Pence to Visit Women’s Health Clinic That Falsely Ties Abortion to Breast Cancer.” CNN , 1 Sept. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/politics/pence-abortion-breast-cancer/index.html . “The Problems With Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Reviewing the Literature and Identifying New Directions for Future Research.” International Journal of Women S Health , Vol. 14, June 2022, pp. 757–63. https://doi.org/10.2147/ijwh.s288861 . “New Lawsuit Alleges Actions of ‘Crisis Pregnancy Center’ Resulted in Missed Diagnosis of a Life-Threatening Ectopic Pregnancy.” Reproductive Equity Now , 22 June 2023, https://reproequitynow.org/press/new-lawsuit-alleges-actions-of-crisis-pregnancy-center-resulted-in-missed-diagnosis-of-a-life-threatening-ectopic-pregnancy . Stop Leasing to Anti-Abortion Center Gateway Women’s Care , https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/anti-abortion-center-out-of-raleigh . “Activists Picket Against Gateway Women’s Care, a Fake Abortion Clinic Next to NC State.” Durham Dispatch , 27 July 2024, www.durhamdispatch.com/post/feminists-picket-against-gateway-womens-care-a-fake-abortion-clinic-next-to-nc-state . NC Triangle DSA. “ SocFem's Garden Party Social .” Instagram , 16 May 2025, www. instagram.com/p/DJuyafsyljW/ . Accessed 21 May 2025. " Inspection Number: INSP-019049-2025", City of Raleigh . https://raleighnc-energovpub.tylerhost.net/apps/selfservice#/inspectionDetail/inspection/508cc8ab-2297-4eed-adec-044231389167 . " Permit Number: ELENR-009726-2025",   City of Raleigh . https://raleighnc-energovpub.tylerhost.net/apps/selfservice#/permit/33a0d43b-4cb1-47dd-897f-0febea2de968

On May 7, around 150 people gathered at Lyon Park Community Center to launch Durham Rising, an alliance of labor unions and progressive organizations pushing for an improved relationship between Duke University, its workers, and Durham. The new coalition has absorbed and expanded the demands of the earlier Duke Respect Durham campaign. Three of five proposals from Durham Rising call on Duke to make voluntary payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to local government [ 1 ].   Durham Rising includes the Durham Association of Educators (DAE), UE Local 150, Duke Graduate Student Union (DGSU), and Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW). Progressive organizations such as Siembra NC, Duke Respect Durham, and Durham for All have also joined the campaign.   The town hall was led by Mama Cookie, a USSW leader, and Christy Patterson, DAE’s vice president. Mama Cookie, whose labor activism earned her an official "Mama Cookie Day" on April 3 in Durham, said, “Duke has unions, but they twist them. The people in those unions want to speak out but they’re afraid to speak out. If Duke hears anything, they’re fired.”   Labor organizing has intensified at Duke in recent years. DGSU won its NLRB election in August 2023 and has since fought for $50,000 PhD stipends and other demands [ 2 ]. Separately, in mid-April 2025, Duke facilities workers with AFSCME Local 77 held protests outside Cameron Stadium and Duke Facilities Management over alleged contract violations, according to an email from UE Local 150.   Under a 'Dignified Work' plank, Durham Rising is demanding a $25 hourly wage and respect of union rights for all Duke workers. The coalition argues that, as Durham’s largest employer, the university is able to establish the baseline for local labor practices. Image credit: Duke Respect Durham Patterson asked the crowd, “What’s the percentage of the land? [Duke owns] eleven percent of the land in Durham and they don’t pay taxes!” She added, “And our public schools are under attack. We are struggling to fund our most vulnerable populations but they sit on the land and don’t pay taxes. I want to pause there and give a huge shoutout to Duke Respect Durham.”   Duke Respect Durham began campaigning for PILOT in late 2024. Many of the group's most active organizers are members of NC Triangle Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Duke Respect Durham, and now Durham Rising, argues that PILOT would compensate for Duke's property tax exemption. Durham Rising doesn’t claim to oppose property tax exemptions for all educational institutions. The coalition website makes no mention of NC Central University, which has a modest endowment of $89 million [ 3 ]. The campaign's view is that Duke, with its $11.9 billion endowment, is so incredibly wealthy that continued use of the property tax exemption is a form of neglect toward Durham. The Assembly  has estimated that, “If Duke weren’t exempt from many property taxes, its bill would likely fall somewhere between $11 million and the $50 million the PILOT campaigners calculated”. In that article, the newspaper estimated that Duke paid around $2 million in 2024 property tax [ 4 ].   DAE joins Durham Rising in a position of newfound strength. The teacher's union increased membership from 15 percent to 50 percent in 2024, according to remarks by its officials. In April 2025, the school board agreed to a “meet-and-confer” policy, the closest DAE can get to union recognition. An anti-worker law, NC General Statute 95-98, deprives public sector workers of collective bargaining rights.   Nahshon Blount, a USSW member and Duke housekeeper, spoke at the town hall, saying, “We will not let you pay us poverty wages. Behind the curtain, Duke is running on the back of low-wage workers. We are tired of living paycheck to paycheck, not knowing where our next meal will come from.” He said that Duke workers “need a seat at the table” and demanded “a union for all in this city”. Durham Rising's five demands. Image credit: Durham Rising website ( bit.ly/durhamrising) USSW is a cross-workplace union for low-wage workers in the service sector. Its members can be easily spotted at political events in bright red shirts and easily heard due to their spirited chanting. Only two percent of workers are unionized in North Carolina. In a region that is extraordinarily hostile to organized labor, USSW is a bastion and training ground of progressive workers hoping to improve pay and conditions at their workplace.   Ananda Ghosh, a DPS special education teacher, gave remarks at Lyon Park. He spoke about working with an instructional assistant (IA) and said, “She built really loving strong relationships with the kids, she was really amazing. But she had to work two other jobs to make ends meet and eventually she just had to quit.”   He continued, “When I’m down an IA, I’m not able to take my students to dance class, where they learn that they’re more than just how many words they can read or how many digits they can add up. It’s where they learn that their body is free.”   According to a recent DAE statement, the 2025 budget approved by the school board would cut over 100 DPS staff [ 5 ]. To combat this type of austerity, Durham Rising includes a 'The Public Schools Our Students Deserve' plank that encourages Duke to direct part of a potential PILOT to DPS. This type of arrangement would not be unique. In 2020, the University of Pennsylvania agreed to make an annual $10 million PILOT to Philadelphia Public Schools after years of grassroots campaigning [ 6 ].    Ghosh noted an interesting challenge that Durham Rising will face in dealing with the university, saying, “Out of thirty-seven Duke trustees, at least six are billionaires. Zero are working class. Only one lists a residence in Durham.”   Other organizations that provided speakers for Wednesday's town hall:   ·      DGSU ·      UE Local 150 ·      Durham for All ·      Institute of Southern Studies ·      Duke Respect Durham Work Cited "Duke: Stand Up, Invest in Us." Durham Rising , https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/durhamrisingpetition?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExTEx0eVFkZ05XRlh2aGJaYgEezZ4NZner8bzXc3rF-X5XMmzF9SeL9qMJ7E1fsq5rYz_awjP9Gc14Cc5mjbI_aem_U-C7CxgxsRwgXQtXHXPCVg . “Duke Graduate Student Union Petitions University to Pay Graduate Workers a Living Wage.” INDY Week , 12 July 2024, https://indyweek.com/news/durham/duke-graduate-student-union-petitions-university-to-pay-graduate-workers-a-living-wage . "Board of Trustees Meeting - Endowment Fund Update." NC Central University , 18 Dec. 2024, www.nccu.edu/sites/default/files/2024-12/Endowment-Presentation-12-18-2024.pdf . “What Does Duke University Owe Durham?” The Assembly , 6 Feb. 2025, www.theassemblync.com/education/higher-education/duke-respect-durham . “Durham Association of Educators - Statement on April 24 Durham Public Schools Budget Vote.” Durham Dispatch , 5 May 2025, www.durhamdispatch.com/post/durham-association-of-educators-statement-on-april-24-durham-public-schools-budget-vote . “Activists Question Whether Wealthy Universities Should Be Exempt From Property Taxes.” The Hechinger Report , 18 Dec. 2020, https://hechingerreport.org/activists-question-whether-wealthy-universities-should-be-exempt-from-property-taxes .

Image credit: Artists Against Apartheid Duke University has escalated its repression against pro-Palestine, anti-genocide protest. Seven members of the Duke community, students and faculty, will be called before the University Judicial Board for hearings that decide whether there will be punishments for nonviolent vocal protest on West Campus on the evening of November 19, 2024. Potential consequences for students range from suspensions to expulsions, among others. For faculty, the hearings determine whether or not they will be fired. [1] In a November 21, 2024 email sent to the entire Duke community, the Provost promised that a nameless group of administrators would conduct a nonspecific “investigation” of the protest, which included about 50 people outside and inside the Social Sciences Building, against former Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who “spent much of his career in the Israeli Defense Forces Legal System and also served as Chief Military Advocate General.” [2] The event, billed as “ A Conversation ,” was sponsored by the soft-money Program in American Grand Strategy at Duke as well as the Duke Provost Office and the Duke Center for Jewish Studies. Protesters inside and outside provided a counter-narrative to this longtime representative of a country committing an unadulterated live-streamed genocide. [3] Prior to the 2024-25 school year, Duke joined countless university administrations panicking against rising student protests and encampments across the US in a coordinated effort to shut down anti-genocide protests, and dissent against university complicity/support for genocide, as universities worked with the same legal and ideological advisors. [4] The result at Duke, a new “ Pickets, Protests, and Demonstrations ” policy and committee, bans protests the university does not authorize and threatens people with disciplinary and legal action for participating in or attending such protests. The PPD policy is ambiguously worded, internally contradictory, and even in direct conflict with other university policies, such as those in the Faculty Handbook. [5] Moreover, its application to the November 19 protest is opaque. Out of approximately 50 Duke community members who gathered, on what basis were seven people chosen? It appears that the Duke administration wants to make an example of select community members in order to intimidate and silence all organized dissent against the genocide. This follows over a year of Duke administrative repression, threats, and instructions to delimit questions and stifle speech advocating for Palestinian liberation from Israeli siege, genocide, and settler-colonialism backed by US military, financial, and moral support. These acts at Duke occurred largely behind closed doors but were directly experienced and documented by tens of students, faculty, and staff across university divisions. PPD purportedly balances “academic freedom” with “order.” But when one reads the policy, this farcical distinction quickly breaks down. For instance, the university separates “noise” from “speech,” and yet, the provost committee says it can apply the policy against people for giving speeches. Duke claims it does not repress speech based on an ideological litmus test yet requires all gatherings to be approved, which is absurd on its face. Historically, unsanctioned protests and actions at Duke have advanced racial equality, created living wages for workers, and ended Duke’s investments in apartheid South Africa. [6] Duke acknowledges that past protests have eliminated injustices, yet insists our community must now either ask for their permission or face life-altering disciplinary consequences. Duke’s “shared values” are “respect, trust, inclusion, discovery and excellence.” The PPD claims to maintain these values. But we insist it matters what we are being asked to respect, which powers we are being asked to trust, and which voices are included. What has Duke allowed us to “discover” when the vaunted Law School has not held any public events on the International Criminal Court or International Court of Justice hearings and decisions with regard to Israel? Or when the Nicholas School of the Environment cancels student group events on the environmental impact of war and genocide? Or when the upper echelons demand obsequiousness to the Israeli-Duke line from faculty and staff in airless meeting rooms and on Zoom? There is no “excellence” in rewarding with massive honoraria those who deny, are complicit in, and profit from genocide. Rather than offering room for “dialogue,” the PPD’s biased deployment demonstrates Duke has already picked a side. Such intellectual dishonesty is unbecoming of a world-class university. In practical terms, the PPD is a dangerous policy that will likely be applied to any form of protest that does not fall within its definition of “order”– anything that uncomfortably challenges university priorities. Are we as a university community that fragile? We demand dissolution of this corrupt policy, and that all disciplinary hearings against our community members be cancelled. This article was first published by Duke Academics and Staff for Justice in Palestine . Work Cited https://dukecommunitystandard.students.duke.edu/appendices/appendix-judicial-system-duke-university/ Mandelblit is known for  facilitating illegal settlements ,  refusal to investigate torture  (resulting in death), and  flagrant disrespect of the International Criminal Court . Despite widespread consensus among major human rigths organizations that Israel regularly violates international law (see footnote 2), Mandelblit has made the preposterous claim that  “Israel does not commit atrocities.” Several human rights organizations have deemed this siege genocide. They include  Al Haq ,  Euro Med Monitor ,  Amnesty International ,  Human Rights Watch ,  and  Doctors Without Borders . A non-exhaustive list of universities with nearly identical policies can be found  here . The AAUP released a  statement condemning these policies as an assault on academic freedom and faculty governance (see also an earlier statement on peaceful protest  here ). Legal experts say that these policies are  in direct conflict with free speech . See also the UN  Special Report  condemning university repression policies. The full statement from the UN is  here . See  Appendix D  on academic freedom, versus  Appendix I  on PPD in the Faculty Handbook, which are in conflict. Oddly, faculty magically turn into students (i.e., under the authority of Student Affairs) when they protest. For more information on the history of student protest at Duke, see the university’s  extensive archival collection .

On April 5, thousands gathered in CCB Plaza and Five Points Plaza to protest the extreme instability of the first few months of the Trump administration. Organized by the Durham Democrats, the "Hands Off" rally denounced the defunding of federal scientific programs, erosion of civil rights, and the president’s authoritarian tendencies.   Turnout was huge by local standards. Organizers estimated that 2,000 people poured into the area between Corcoran Street, East Chapel Hill Street, and West Main Street. It was the city’s largest political street rally since a 2017 protest against the Klu Klux Klan [ 1 ].   Volunteer marshals kept marchers on sidewalks, but that was the extent of visible coordination. Speakers in CCB Plaza may have tried to address the crowd, but there was no sound system. No progressive groups set up tables, distributed literature, or recruited members. Around 11:30 a.m., the crowd began marching down East Chapel Hill Street and circling the block. With no chant leaders, the shouted slogans were spontaneous and random. Outside of Neomonde Mediterranean, a chant of “this is what democracy looks like” faded, suddenly replaced by Chappell Roan lyrics. (Correction: the chant may have been "H-O-T-T-O-G-O, Trump and Musk have got to go!")   Alongside the crowd in CCB Plaza were several metal racks with used clothing. The “Hands Off” rally conflicted with a flea market, which went ahead as scheduled after the political crowd thinned.   Attendees appeared to skew older and whiter. Movements popular with younger, diverse constituencies such as Black Lives Matter, Ceasefire Now, Democratic Socialism, and the Sunrise Movement have received, at best, a mixed reception from moderate liberals. After years of estrangement, anti-Trump factions may struggle to unite.   A newer liberal group, Bull City Indivisible, helped plan the “Hands Off” rally in Raleigh but not the gathering in Durham. However, Indivisible's national organization created the digital sign-up form. Durham Democrats credited two activists, Julia Borbely-Brown and Christine Barboriak, with organizing the event.   US foreign policy was on the back burner. Palestine or Ukraine received scattered support, but there was no visible protest against the government’s bombing of Yemen or threats of war against Iran. National materials for “Hands Off” events mentioned NATO, but the Western military bloc wasn't a noticeable theme at the Durham event.   The most prominent cause was federal science funding, a key part of Durham’s economy. Many signs and posters supported the NIH and EPA. The Trump administration reportedly plans to dismantle the EPA’s scientific arm, the Office of Research and Development (ORD). Many ORD researchers are based at the EPA's RTP facility, which has around 1,300 employees. Hundreds have recently been laid off from RTI International and FHI 360, which are major Triangle-based nonprofits. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), another crown jewel of RTP, is also cutting jobs. Duke University, Durham’s largest employer, began a hiring freeze in March. In 2024, Duke and RTI received nearly $1 billion in NIH grants, which are now at risk [ 2 ].   Organized labor had little visible presence, although a few people wore AFGE shirts. Advocates of class war might have been mollified by chants of “tax the rich” and posters denouncing billionaires.   Progressive rallies are often criticized for a lack of nationalist symbolism. There was little danger of that on Saturday. Across from Pour Taproom, a group held up a 10-foot American flag with wooden supports. Red, white, and blue decorated the edges of homemade posters and some attendees wore flag-patterned plastic cowboy hats. One marcher toted an obscure banner that turned out to be a Bunker Hill battle flag. Another attendee mistook it for Greenland’s flag.   Near the Marriott hotel, someone waved a hammer-and-sickle flag with Donald Trump’s face printed on it. With equal coherence, one marcher carried the flags of three nations - the US, Israel, and Palestine.   If “Hands Off” protests in Durham wished to escalate, the city's recent history provides striking options. In November 2023, Jewish Voice for Peace blocked the Durham freeway, trying to pressure Rep. Valerie Foushee to support a Gaza ceasefire [ 3 ]. Similar actions could be used to urge Sen. Thom Tillis to oppose various Trump policies.   The April 5 rally drew less than one percent of Durham’s population. In the last city council elections, voter turnout was only 12 percent. Although the Bull City is considered a progressive bastion, it remains largely depoliticized and disorganized as federal politics head in an ominous direction.   Work Cited   DeBruyn, Jason. “Thousands of Anti-KKK Protesters March Through Downtown Durham.” WUNC , 21 Aug. 2017, www.wunc.org/news/2017-08-18/thousands-of-anti-kkk-protesters-march-through-downtown-durham . Snipes, Cameron. “Duke, UNC and One Other Entity Dwarf Rest in Triangle NIH Funding.”  Triangle Business Journal , 27 Jan. 2025,  www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2025/01/27/duke-unc-nih-funds-grants-healthcare-research-trum.html . Gordon, Brian. “Durham Protest Calling for Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Ends, Freeway Blocked for Hours.”  Raleigh News & Observer , 3 Dec. 2024,  www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article281363198.html .

On April 30, the US Army Corps of Engineers published the public notices for Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC’s Clean Water Act permit for the stream and wetlands crossings for its proposed methane gas pipeline “Southgate.” The notices are for the Norfolk  and Wilmington  Districts of the Army Corps [ 1 ][ 2 ]. Southgate would travel from the Mountain Valley Pipeline mainline terminus in Chatham, Virginia through Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and Rockingham, North Carolina. According to the notices, “the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)…has found that this permit request meets the terms of EO 14156  and is therefore subject to special emergency permitting procedures to address an energy supply situation which would result in an unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property, or an immediate, unforeseen, and significant economic hardship if corrective action requiring a permit is not undertaken within a time period less than the normal time needed to process the application under standard procedures.” [ 3 ] The Southgate project would extend the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline along a route similar to the proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project from Williams Companies’ expansion of their network of Transco pipelines. These projects are also currently undergoing a review process by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The co-location of two high-pressure, large diameter pipelines is of significant concern for local residents in the impacted counties. The application process for Southgate also includes review by the Virginia and North Carolina Departments of Environmental Quality. Their public comment periods are estimated to be in late Spring and early Summer. “Navigating permit processes is difficult enough for communities without the added chaos and confusion created by arbitrary and baseless ‘emergency’ declarations,” said Russell Chisholm, Managing Director at POWHR. “Expediting project approvals without full public participation and rigorous review will have disastrous results for our lands, water and people. Any project, including Southgate, claiming to be in the public or national interest deserves public and national scrutiny.” “For years MVP Southgate—a proposed extension of MVP mainline—has never moved forward and has been denied multiple permits,” said Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, Director at 7 Directions of Service . “Community members along the MVP mainline route tell us how their lives, their land and their waterways continue to suffer as a result of these pipeline developers, their violations and the lack of accountability. Our regulators must do everything in their power to protect North Carolinians from a similar fate.” This article was first published by POWHR . Work Cited “Public Notice of 404 Permit.” ACE Norfolk District , 30 Apr. 2025, www.nao.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/4169869/nao-2018-1574-mountain-valley-pipeline-south-gate-pittsylvania-county-virginia . “Public Notice of 404 Permit.” ACE Wilmington District , 30 Apr. 2025,, www.saw.usace.army.mil/Portals/59/docs/regulatory/publicnotices/2025/NAO-2018-1574_SAW-2018-0887_PN2.pdf . "Executive Order 14156." The American Presidency Project . www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-14156-declaring-national-energy-emergency .

Image credit: Durham Association of Educators Last night at the School Board meeting, we picketed at the Fuller Building together, delivered Board member report cards based on which of our priorities they support, and delivered powerful testimony in public comment. It was a proud display of our unity and growth as a union — bus drivers and monitors, media coordinators, cafeteria workers, IAs, EC teachers, parents and more, standing side by side. Despite our union’s call for more transparency and a delay on the vote, the Board of Education unanimously voted to send the Superintendent’s budget request to the Board of County Commissioners with many crucial questions left unanswered. We still have not seen the district’s audit or learned what funds are available in the General Fund, but still the Board approved a budget request that calls for cutting over 100 teachers and other frontline staff, offers no local raises for classified staff, excludes interventionists and other positions from Master’s Pay, and excludes bus monitors from the newly proposed $200/month supplement for bus drivers. All this while also funding 101 directors and supervisors downtown— a number that far exceeds the number of Assistant Principals we have (86) and the number of directors the state allots Durham. Simply put: this budget process was not transparent or collaborative enough and this budget request does not prioritize what students and frontline staff need most. That is extremely disappointing. There are a few bright spots in the budget request that were a direct result of our organizing and are worth celebrating. It includes extending Master’s Pay to social workers, a $200/month supplement for bus driver supplement (a proposal our union leaders brought the district starting in December), and a certified supplement increase - three items that will make a real material difference in the lives of some workers and that were a part of our Spring 2025 priorities. All of our Spring 2025 Articles that we presented to Board members this month received a significant amount of attention in the discussion— it was encouraging to hear five Board members (Wendell Tabb, Joy Harrell Goff, Emily Chávez, Bettina Umstead, Jessica Carda-Auten) specifically lift up our public meetings and proposals. It wasn’t everything we wanted, and we still want to see more action on our priorities this Spring, but it was a sign of the progress we are making thanks to the union power we have worked so hard to build these past 18 months. We have been acting like a union and decision makers are learning to accept this. While we did push the District to be more transparent than they originally intended, and we should celebrate our campaign efforts on that front, the timing of the release of this information made real transparency and collaboration impossible. Much of the crucial information about position cuts was not made clear until this week and some essential questions were still left unanswered. Repeatedly when Board members asked for key information, they received unclear and at times evasive answers from district administration. As with so many other important questions, when Board member Chávez asked administration what it would cost to include bus monitors in the transportation supplement, they could not or would not provide the answer. Administrators said they would need time to calculate the answer and it was too late to incorporate into this budget request even though it only requires knowing how many bus monitors work for the district— we estimate that it would only cost an additional $130-160k to include the 60-80 bus monitors in DPS, which is less than some downtown supervisors are paid. When Board members asked how much it would cost to extend Master’s Pay to all who would have qualified in 2013 (and not just teachers and social workers), again administrators did not have an answer even though that figure has been requested repeatedly since last Spring. When Board member Tabb asked about the audit and the fund balance, it appeared that district administration had an idea of what funds were available, but chose not to disclose that information despite the impending vote. While we understand that our new Superintendent and CFO inherited many of our glaring financial issues from previous administrations, that is not an excuse for the lack of answers that were provided to the public last night before the budget request was passed. After the classified pay debacle and this year’s budget mismanagement, we have learned our lesson once and for all that our students and staff simply cannot afford to blindly trust the decisions and priorities of a few administrators. For years under previous administrations, some of these same Board members and directors insisted to us that workers and community members need to sit back and let administration make all the decisions, and that lack of accountability is exactly what led to all these budget mismanagement issues we are all struggling to resolve now. We cannot repeat the same mistakes moving forward. Next year, we believe Meet & Confer negotiations will help us finally change the broken status quo in DPS, but in order to do that we need Board members who are willing to join us in championing transparency, accountability, and collaboration more than they did in this budget cycle. Our staff and students deserve a transformation of how DPS operates. So what’s next? We will continue to do everything we can to demand answers about our finances and push to reallocate funds towards the things students need most. We also have several non-budgetary proposals in our Spring priorities that require urgent action from the bosses. Last night we invited Dr. Lewis and his team to another public meeting to discuss our Articles (many have already received majority approval from Board members, which you can see here in the report cards we unveiled last night) and modifying the Meet & Confer policy. Protecting students and families from ICE, personal days and inclement weather days for classified staff, printed contracts, and a collective grievance policy are just some of the proposals we hope to finalize collaboratively with the superintendent and his team so that we can end the year on a high-note together. We sent him multiple options for meeting times in mid-May and will update everyone when he RSVPs. In the bigger picture: we have to keep growing our union and inspiring our coworkers across the state. Next year we will have Meet & Confer sessions starting in the Fall, which will put us in a stronger position than ever in district decision making, but we know we’ll need supermajority worker unity to have our voice heard. We’ll also lead our new coalition Durham Rising to demand Duke pay its fair share and more. Next Spring we’ll also have the opportunity to elect a new School Board and we need to channel all our political muscle into making sure we elect leaders we can count on to put students and workers first and hold the administration accountable. And as always, our statewide union must keep leading the fight to beat the privatizers in the General Assembly so that we can finally win all the resources we need. Onwards! This statement was first published by the Durham Association of Educators . Image credit: Durham Association of Educators

Neuse Riverkeeper is asking Durham residents to speak out, and against, yet another development proposal in the Lick Creek watershed. Durham City Council members are scheduled to vote on the Howard property rezoning on Monday, May 5, at their council meeting. The proposal includes construction of 499 residential housing units on 86.4 acres of land adjacent to Lick Creek and the protected Falls Lake drinking-water watershed. “We need people to stand up for the Lick Creek watershed and downstream communities who rely on clean water in Falls Lake,” Samantha said. “It’s going to take all of our voices to get through to a majority of city council members, so we need everyone who can to send a message, or better yet, attend Monday’s meeting in person to tell Durham council to deny more large-scale sprawl in the imperiled Lick Creek watershed.” The project area includes five jurisdictional streams and parts of the North Carolina Natural Heritage designated natural area called the Middle Lick Creek Bottomlands, which contains unique habitat, plant and fish species, she said. Over the past three years, Samantha has documented the impacts of the rampant development of the Lick Creek watershed. A clear line of sediment delineates water flowing from Lick Creek past Rolling View Marina into Falls Lake. “The Lick Creek watershed has already suffered immensely from development pressure, and our ongoing water-quality sampling demonstrates that sediment remains a concerning pollution crisis in Lick Creek,” Samantha said. “Durham City Council should require developments in this area to commit to strong environmental conditions to ensure that no more destruction is caused in this environmentally sensitive area.” Samantha said she is asking Durham City Council to vote against the Howard property proposal unless strong environmental conditions are adopted to the unique forest habitat and water resources on the site and downstream. The council will vote on the rezoning proposal at its meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, May 5. More information about the meeting can be found here . More background information on Lick Creek from Samantha: The Howard property rezoning development includes five state-regulated, jurisdictional streams that flow into the Lick Creek Natural Heritage area.  According to the North Carolina Natural Heritage Area assessment, this remaining forested area is unique for containing mature hardwood forest and significantly rare and vulnerable plant and fish species such as the Carolina darter fish and the Douglass bittercress flower, which have also been documented within a mile of the project area. This project is located in the closest developable land to the Falls Lake Critical Watershed boundary and abuts the city’s Urban Growth Boundary — defined in Durham’s Comprehensive Plan as an area “beyond which annexations and utility extensions should not occur, limiting significant development.”  The currently forested land on the Howard property site is surrounded by recently approved developments and a landscape of clear-cutting and exposed soils. High-density land clearing in the Lick Creek watershed has led to such harmful levels of sediment pollution that sediment plumes can be seen flowing into Falls Lake from the sky. Sound Rivers has documented this pollution for years, but few additional measures have been required of developers to retain sediment on their construction sites.  Durham City Council should take steps to protect our water resources by asking developers to commit to clearing less land of trees, and adopting better sediment and erosion control and stormwater practices. The City of Durham’s Environmental Affairs Board — a volunteer board of environmental experts appointed by city council — stated to Durham Council that “The Howard Property development poses substantial environmental risks with minimal mitigation measures in place,” and called for the developer to incorporate “more stringent commitments to sustainable building practices, retaining tree coverage, reducing impervious surfaces, stormwater management, and biodiversity protection.” This article was published first by Sound Rivers .

Dear City Manager Ferguson and County Manager Hager, The Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit (CAHT) is a grassroots organization with 612 supporters committed to supporting programs, initiatives, and policies that increase affordable housing and public transportation options in Durham City and its surrounding county. Our advocacy encompasses consideration of all social drivers (i.e., housing inventory, rental availability, eviction avoidance, health outcomes, AMI household income levels, environmental impacts, etc.) to promote affordable homeownership, providing neighborhood stability, diversity, and equitable wealth-building, housing security, and safety for all Durham residents. As such, we would like to provide our local government leaders with input on specific items of interest for the FY2025-2026 budget planning process. The four FY2025-2026 City, County, or County-only budget priorities that our organization has endorsed previously and continues to advocate for in this year’s budget process are as follows. Request #1 : Continue funding the GoDurham Free Fares program, which helps alleviate the financial pressure on individuals and families facing economic challenges. The cost would be $1.5 million. Please note that the Coalition also adamantly opposes $2.00 fare proposals, as the increased fares would harm Durham’s struggling residents, who tend to use public transportation. Request #2: Fully fund the HEART program, which provides valuable outreach and tangible support for residents facing eviction and homelessness. Request #3 : Maintain the 2-cent tax increase to the property tax rate implemented in the FY2021- 2022 budget. This increase is needed for: Maintaining progress on developing and redeveloping affordable housing in Durham’s transit opportunity area for households at or below 60% Area Median Income (AMI); Expansion of supportive housing program opportunities; Continuation of the Down Payment Assistance Program for homeownership; Funding the Repairs program for Durham’s low-income seniors; Establishing a contingency fund to enable short-term loans to non-profits and city programs expecting HUD reimbursements; and Implementing a rental assistance program for low-income residents to help offset the loss of federal-funded vouchers and other lost funding, thereby supporting Durham’s most vulnerable citizens. Request #4 : Continue the Low-Income Homeowners Tax Credit Program at its current funding level. Additionally, CAHT requests funding for the following budget items, which are new requests for FY2025- 2026. Request #5 : The redevelopment project for the 505 West Chapel Hill Street police headquarters is progressing slowly. However, the Coalition requests that subsidies be included in the budget to increase the number of affordable housing units in the Peebles Corporation proposal from 110 to 130, representing a 20-unit increase that requires subsidies. Request #6: The allocation of $5 million to thoroughly remediate toxic chemicals (i.e., lead) in the affected parks. We appreciate your consideration of our coalition community budgetary requests and are available to answer any questions regarding the information in this document. Thank you in advance for consideration of CAHT's requests as a member of community of organizations concerned about Durham residents and the area's affordable housing.   Sincerely, Cynthia Williams, Chair of the Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit of Durham This article was published first by the Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit of Durham .